ABOUT THE MATADORS
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 18-12
Big West: 9-9
Home: 9-6
Away: 9-6
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: L1
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Tritons are back in La Jolla for their final two home games of the regular season. UC San Diego will host UC Davis on Thursday (7 p.m.) before wrapping up Big West action against Cal Poly (March 9, 4 p.m.). Tickets for both games can be purchased through Triton Box Office.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Host Cal State Bakersfield got a 29-point effort from Kaleb Higgins as the Roadrunners downed UC San Diego, 70-57, Thursday night at the Icardo Center. The loss snapped a four-game win streak for the Tritons (19-10 overall, 13-4 Big West), who fell one game back of UC Irvine in The Big West standings with three games to play.
 
Celebrating its seniors before the game, Cal State Bakersfield (12-17, 7-11) improved to 10-4 at home.
 
Tyler McGhie led UC San Diego with 16 points on four three-pointers, Bryce Pope added 14, J'Raan Brooks scored 12 and pulled down a season-high nine rebounds, and Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones scored ten and grabbed five rebounds for the Tritons.
 
LAST TIME VS. CSUN (FEB. 1)
UC San Diego (15-7, 9-1 Big West) extended its winning streak to four with an 83-62 win over CSUN (13-9, 4-6 BW) inside LionTree Arena. UC San Diego remains tied with UC Irvine for the top spot in the Big West. 
Tyler McGhie led the Tritons with 24 points, closely followed by Bryce Pope's 22 points. Hayden Gray, Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, and J'Raan Brooks were each credited with four assists in the win. 
Tait-Jones and Gray also controlled the game on defense, nabbing three steals each; Gray led UC San Diego with seven rebounds. 
 
TENACIOUS ON D
UC San Diego allowed a season-low 46 points in the win over UC Santa Barbara (Feb. 15). The 46 points allowed marked the fewest the Tritons have ever surrendered in a Big West game, and the fewest allowed since an 75-39 win over Saint Katherine on Dec. 23, 2020.
 
STARTING OFF STRONG
UC San Diego has used the same starting lineup in each of its first 29 games. Wisconsin is the only other Division I program to utilize the same starting five in each game this season.
 
IN SEARCH OF 20
A Triton victory Saturday at CSUN would give UC San Diego its first 20-win season at the Division I level. The Tritons had five consecutive seasons of 20+ victories under head coach Eric Olen in Division II from 2015-16 through 2019-20.
 
GOING POLLING
UC San Diego is ranked 23rd in this week's Mid-Major Top 25 poll – the second time this season the Tritons have been ranked, and the program's highest ranking to date.
 
TRITONS VS. THE BIG WEST
Here's a look at how UC San Diego has stacked up against conference competition since joining The Big West prior to the 2020-21 season:
 

Opponent	Home	Road	Neutral	Total	Streak
Cal Poly	0-1	2-1	0-0	2-2	W2
Cal State Bakersfield	2-1	1-4	0-0	3-5	L1
Cal State Fullerton	4-1	1-1	0-0	5-2	W2
CSUN	3-0	2-0	0-0	5-0	W5
Hawai'i	1-2	0-3	0-0	1-5	L1
Long Beach State	1-2	1-2	0-0	2-4	L1
UC Davis	1-2	1-2	0-0	2-4	W1
UC Irvine	1-3	1-3	0-0	2-6	W1
UC Riverside	3-2	1-3	0-0	4-5	W2
UC Santa Barbara	2-1	1-4	0-0	3-5	W2

 
SECOND HALF SURGE
In UC San Diego's 92-59 win at UC Davis (Jan. 27), the Tritons outscored the Aggies 54-23 in the second half. Bryce Pope scored 22 after halftime (29 total) and UC San Diego sank ten three-pointers in the second half.
 
KNOCKING 'EM DOWN
When UC San Diego shot 60.4% in a win at Cal State Fullerton (Jan. 6), it marked the second time ever in a Big West game – and the first on the road – in which UC San Diego shot 60% or better from the floor against a conference foe. The Tritons also sank 67.9% of their shots in their first-ever win over a Division I opponent (vs. UC Davis, Jan. 21, 2021).
 
BIG WEST LEADERBOARD
Here's a look at where the Tritons rank in The Big West statistically:

Category	Stat	Rank
Scoring	76.6 ppg	Third
Scoring, Big West games	76.6	First
Scoring margin	8.1	Second
Scoring margin, BW games	7.9	Second
FG percentage, BW games	46.3%	Third
3FG percentage	35.1%	Second
3FG percentage, BW games	35.5%	First
3FG per game	8.9	First
3FG per game, BW games	8.6	First
FT percentage	75.7%	Second
Turnovers per game	9.6	First
Turnovers per game, BW games	9.0	First
Assist-Turnover ratio	1.36	First
Assist-Turnover ratio, BW games	1.40	First

 
POPE IS BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK (FEB. 26)
Bryce Pope hit a dramatic buzzer-beater and scored a career-high 32 points on 11-of-19 shooting as UC San Diego moved back into a first-place tie in The Big West with an overtime win against the Anteaters Feb. 24 at LionTree Arena. In the process, he moved into sixth place all-time at UC San Diego with 1,530 career points. For the week, Pope averaged 19 points and 5.5 rebounds per game as the Tritons went 2-0.
 
AWARD WINNERS
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, Big West Player of the Week, Nov. 13
Bryce Pope, UCU Athlete of the Week, Nov. 27, Dec. 4, Jan. 2, Jan. 8, Jan. 29, Feb. 26
Tyler McGhie, UCU Athlete of the Week, Dec. 26
Bryce Pope, Big West Player of the Week, Jan. 15, Jan. 29, Feb. 26
Francis Nwaokorie, UCU Athlete of the Week, Jan. 15
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, UCU Athlete of the Week, Feb. 12
 
1,000-POINT SCORERS
In the Tritons' win over UC Santa Barbara (Feb. 15), Francis Nwaokorie became the latest UC San Diego player to score 1,000 career points. Here are the program's top all-time scorers:
 
UC San Diego All-Time Scoring Leaders (includes games played at other institutions)

Name	Years	Games Played	Points
Paul Trainer	1971-75	104	1,930
Matt Aune	1993-97	100	1,780
Mike Wall	1995-99	100	1,700
Greg Kaminsky	1983-87	104	1,588
Tim Rapp	1987-91	75	1,556
Bryce Pope	2020-pr.	101	1,544
Adam Klie	2013-17	118	1,524
Christian Oshita	2016-20	100	1,505
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones	2020-pr.	91	1,445
Chris Hansen	2015-20	113	1,418
Rick Batt	1988-92	106	1,410
Jordan Lawley	2006-10	110	1,398
James McCann	2010-14	107	1,339
Drew Dyer	2012-16	108	1,333
Tyler McGhie	2020-pr.	89	1,188
Clint Allard	2004-08	112	1,150
Francis Nwaokorie	2021-pr.	87	1,042

 
UC San Diego 30-Point Games, Division I

Name	Date	Opponent	Points	Game Score
Toni Rocak	Dec. 30, 2021	vs. UC Santa Barbara	34	W, 85-83 (OT)
Bryce Pope	Feb. 24, 2024	vs. UC Irvine	32	W, 92-88 (OT)
Bryce Pope	Nov. 22, 2022	at George Washington	31	W, 75-70

 
HEAD COACH ERIC OLEN
When UC San Diego won at Cal Poly (Jan. 13), the victory marked the 200th in the career of Triton head coach Eric Olen. In his 11th season as head coach, Olen has transformed the program. He is the program's all-time leader in victories.

In Division II, Olen led the Tritons to three California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) regular season titles, four consecutive CCAA tournament crowns over seven seasons. In Division II, he posted a .740 winning percentage, and he was named NABC West Region Coach of the Year for the first time in 2019-20 after leading the Tritons to a 30-1 record and the top seed in the NCAA West Region.
 
Olen's career coaching record stands at 208-112 (.650).
 
DIVISION I FIRSTS

First Season	2020-21
First Game	Dec. 22, 2020 vs. Saint Katherine
First Win over Division I Opponent	Jan. 22, 2021 vs. UC Davis
First Basket vs. D1 Opponent	Jace Roquemore (1/8/21) vs. UC Irvine
First Division I Road Win	Nov. 9, 2021 at Cal
First Big West Road Win	Feb. 3, 2022 at CSUN

 
WHY THE TRITONS
The Triton is described as the offspring of Poseidon and Amphitrite, a demigod of the sea with a lower part of the body like that of a fish. It is known as a mighty and fierce sea warrior. Given UC San Diego's close proximity to the Pacific Ocean and its connections with the world-famous Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Triton became our mascot in 1964.
 
Single game tickets to UC San Diego basketball home games are now on-sale. For more information or to purchase, click here. Currently enrolled UC San Diego students are provided free admission by showing a valid campus ID at the arena entrance.

GAME DAY GOES DIGITAL
Triton fans can access game day information from their smart phones by visiting UCSDTritons.com/MBBgameday or scanning the QR code at the entrance to LionTree Arena for everything they need to know about each home game, including updated rosters, schedules, and stats for each team, as well as links to watch on ESPN+.

COVERING THE TRITONS
Media members wishing to cover a UC San Diego game in-person at LionTree Arena must notify a member of the Athletics Communications staff no later than 24 hours prior to the game.

Following the conclusion of each home game, a video highlight melt and video postgame interviews will be made available for media members to download.
 
ON THE MOVE
After 20 seasons playing as an NCAA Division II team, the entire athletics program is in its final year of a four-year transition to NCAA Division I, culminating in full DI status as a member of The Big West for the 2024-25 academic year. At that time, all sports will be eligible for conference and NCAA postseason play.
 
UC SAN DIEGO ON THE WORLDWIDE LEADER
Most UC San Diego home men's and women's basketball games, men's and women's soccer matches, men's and women's volleyball matches, baseball and softball games are broadcast live on ESPN+. For more information on where to watch UC San Diego basketball, visit UCSDTritons.com/live.
 
HOOPS TALK ON UC SAN DIEGO ATHLETICS' PODCAST
As part of UC San Diego's transition to Division I, the Athletics Department launched a weekly podcast, Tritoncast. Produced by UC San Diego Athletics Communications, Tritoncast features in-depth interviews with UC San Diego personalities including scholar-athletes, alums, coaches, and administrators. Triton fans will get an inside look at the UC San Diego Athletics Department as the program transitions to NCAA Division I and The Big West. New episodes of Tritoncast are available each week on the most popular podcasting apps. In addition, each episode can be heard and downloaded on UCSDTritons.com. For individual show information and listen links, follow Tritoncast on X @Tritoncast.
 
MEN'S BASKETBALL ON TRITONCAST

Episode	Published	Guest(s)	Listen Link
08	8/19/20	Adam Klie '17, program's D2 leading scorer	Listen
13	9/23/20	John Saintignon, impact of John Wooden	Listen
23	12/02/20	Jordan Lawley '10, NBA training center	Listen
30	1/20/21	Gabe Hadley '21, pro in Australia	Listen
67	11/02/22	Head Coach Eric Olen, season preview	Listen
74	2/22/23	Emmanuel Tshimanga, Canada hoops	Listen
84	8/30/23	J'Raan Brooks, Tritons in Italy	Listen
88	11/01/23	Head Coach Eric Olen, season preview	Listen
89	1/24/24	Bryce Pope, team's leading scorer	Listen

 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.